June is backstage waiting to be called for her appeal. She’s nervous- of course she is, this is the Wallace Cup- but she knows why she’s here. Yes, there are a few different reasons- prize money was always nice, as well as the press from a big event like this- but the one that sticks in June’s head is the idea of getting away from her idol persona a little, maybe even taking the first step toward graduating and becoming a straight up-and-down coordinator, no idol prefix.
And as always, idol or not, she’s here to put on one hell of a show.
She enters the stage with wattson and aoyama at her side, making very sure not to fall in the pool- she’d requested that the stage be pitch-dark for the start of her appeal, so it wasn’t a surprise, but it never hurt to be careful. (Besides, doing her appeal soaking wet would be downright dangerous to her dignity and her health.)
She stood at center stage with her pokemon in a triangle formation- Wattson facing the murmuring audience, June and Aoyama turned backwards at opposing angles.
Showtime.
The first blast of synth was all the signal Wattson needed, and he leapt off the platform to coat the pool in electric terrain. He levitated just above the water, leaving a trail of sparks in his wake as he switchbacked ever closer to the judges’ panel. As he was illuminated from below, he seemed to be scattering something from a small velvet pouch held in his mouse paws.
Meanwhile, June and Aoyama danced like practiced partners, a beautiful swords dance to warm up for what was to come. Their movements grew ever faster and more frenetic, so that it seemed like the stage could barely hold their sheer energy, until June stepped off the stage and a fearful gasp ran through the audience– their beloved idol, about to be electrocuted on stage? Perish the thought–!
–and perish it did, for no such tragedy came. With his trademark surge surfer ability boosting his speed, Wattson zipped past and effortlessly set up a field of magnet rise over the water’s surface, creating an invisible extension to the stage. June and Aoyama danced on without a care in the world, whirling forward in an homage to swordplay of old–
–until they reached the center of the field, and the swordplay became real. (or at least it appeared to.)
Aoyama extended his blades, coated with psychic energy, and began to strike out with a powerful psycho cut that gave flashes of light (both on his arms and on the water as the projected slashes collided with it) as he moved in time with the music. June mirrored his actions, weaving around Aoyama’s blades and leading him around the pool like this was nothing more than a continuation of their dance. (A metaphorical swords dance, if you will.)
This time, though, they had an extra partner. Wattson swooped down from the air (he’d been circling the edge of the pool and showing off surfing tricks for the front-row seats until his next musical cue) to join the dance, flying around the two main fighters in complicated patterns that highlighted each of the performers one by one.
As they spun around the field, something seemed to emerge from the water. Millions of tiny water droplets rose to surround the trio, reflecting the sparks and stage lights and psychic energy like a thousand stars in the night sky. Finally the audience realized what Wattson had been scattering at the beginning– magnetic powder, meant to hold onto the water and drag it upward with the earlier magnet rise.
The audience could finally see the performers’ costumes in all their glory- matching collars with a purple stone in the middle, with Wattson’s holding a life orb instead. They danced as one, laughing as they went- the fighting was all choreographed, of course, June knew her team would never hurt her- sparkling like the stars themselves.
Three, two, one
Let’s go!
At that next cue, Wattson and June broke off from Aoyama, spinning towards center stage while aoyama made his way to the back edge of the field. Wattson and June joined hands to spin around and around each other in tight circles as wattson used nasty plot, creating a plume of dark clouds that was Aoyama’s signal to use double team, making copies of himself that encircled the field.
As the music built up towards the next cue- six blasts of synth, all in a neat rhythmic row- the doubles charged up a thunder punch each, starting with the ones closest to the judges and moving counterclockwise. they broke off into six groups and charged at Wattson and June, who were biding their time in the smokescreen.
One by one, the thunder punches came at them like streaking comets, and Wattson met each of them with a tactical block that made huge arcs of lightning flare into the air (Keeping within stage boundaries, of course, due to the magnet rise from earlier- June wasn’t about to electrocute anyone.)
Finally, the last cue came, the beginning of a wonderful crescendo. Wattson began charging a powerful psychic, amplified by his life orb and the previous nasty plot, and started to levitate the sparking water. June and Aoyama were in the center next to him now, watching as Wattson pulled the water from the outside in, making a veil of water that briefly obscured his actions on the inside. Something seemed to be forming inside, but it was too hard to tell what as Wattson’s psychic picked up more and more of the pool-
-until it lay about half empty, and the veil was lifted to reveal a great vortex of water surrounding the trio of performers, electricity sparkling through it so that they looked almost like thunderclouds.
The music built higher still, and Wattson maintained his personal storm as Aoyama fired up another psycho cut, sending brilliant blue crescent slashes through the clouds, scattering parts of them into little droplets of water that lightly splashed the audience with a tiny static shock (nothing dangerous, just a little something to keep them on their toes.)
The roof opened as the vast majority of the water settled back into the pool, still guided by psychic and the magnet rise pulling it to one place. The last chimes of the music hit like clear bells, and marked the trio’s floating progress back to the stage, with the last one seeing a deep bow from all three. The audience cheered as June walked backstage, and she finally let herself relax for a moment.
Her appeal was over with, and her little stars had done so well.
Vaporeon (Beauty): Aurora Beam, Water Gun, Blizzard
Music: (x) First 2:37 only.
It was time for the appeal to begin.
Walking out on stage, he didn’t wear the formal attire that was normally present for the event of the Wallace Cup. He felt it would clash too much against his image, and he couldn’t afford anything fancy anyway.
Stepping up into the trainer’s box, he took out two Pokeballs and tossed them up into the air.
“Incineroar! Vaporeon! Showtime!”
Released was Vaporeon, a female blue quadruped with a cat like face with a fish tail. Next to her was Incineroar, a male bipedal tiger Pokémon with a muscular build.
The stage was water, a big obstacle for his fire-type, but he knew just what to do with that to get things started. He pointed in front of his water type down towards the pool. Knowing that direct commands would cost him points in this competition, he worked long with his two Pokémon to memorize the order of instructions of the appeal.
For the appeal, there would be wasting no time to use the water pool as Vaporeon started things off with an aurora beam.
A glowing spherical light illuminated from the fish-cat’s mouth as she shot a beam to the water and froze the field to give Incineroar a solid stage to stand on and start to perform moves of his own.
[The move lasts between 0:25 – 0:40 of the music]
Shamus nodded approvingly to his water Pokémon and then turned to his Alolan fire type.
“You know what to do now, Incineroar!”
A flamethrower might not have been a tough move, but he hoped the visual appeasement would more than make up for it.
The fire type leaped down to the ice and charged up a flamethrower. Releasing fire from his belt a section of the ice was beginning to melt from the flames, the cat spelled out a ‘W’ with a “–“ sticking out of the left side to make it look like an F.
[The flamethrower starts at 0:50 – 1:04 of the music.]
“The logo of the Fire Warriors!” Shamus boasted.
“But now to make it look even better! Vaporeon!”
Vaporeon unleashed a large burst of water from her mouth, aimed for the fire logo that extinguished the flames, causing steam to rise to the ceiling. The logo was no longer showing as a flame, but was now engraved into the ice.
“You all just saw water in its liquid, solid, and gas form, but we’re not done yet! Vaporeon, show these Hoenn fans what snow looks like!”
Vaporeon opened her mouth, releasing a blizzard to snow down onto a part of the ice, creating a giant snow boulder.
[Blizzard starts at 1:12 – 1:24 of the music.]
Incineroar followed up with a series of fury swipes to sculpt the snow into a life size (Tian) Wallace holding a trophy.
[Fury swipes is 1:25 – 1:32 of the music.]
“Now it’s time that Wallace hand over that trophy to the winner of this competition!” Shamus shouted and spread his arms out to signal to his fire Pokémon that it was time to deliver the finishing move.
Incineroar dashed through the snow and took a quick turn to face the Wallace sculpture. His hands begun to glow a dark aura then took off towards his target. Spinning around with his arms spread out, the red and black tiger picked up velocity and clotheslined the humanoid snow sculpture, decapitating its head.
[Darkest Lariat is performed at 2:00 and makes contact at 2:04].
“And that’s for not giving me my earned badge,” Shamus muttered under his breath, careful to make sure no one heard him.
Returning back to the crumbled snow, Incineroar took the trophy from the now headless sculpture’s arms and raised it up. [At 2:16 of the music.]
“And that’s how the competition is going to end!” Shamus shouted to the crowd, and by extension, to both Wallace’s at the judge’s table. “With new Wallace Cup champions, the Fire Warriors!”
Incineroar climbed back up to the trainer’s box to stand next to Vaporeon and do a victory pose.
“Roar,” Incineroar grinned, pumping both his arms in the air.
“Por,” Vaporeon chirped happily.
[End music at 2:37].
“Alright, return you two,” Shamus returned his two Pokémon and headed back towards the back. “I’m sure no one’s will be better than that.”
- Knock Off, Toxic, Hidden Power (Fire), Waterfall.
Golisopod (Golly) - Tough.
- First Impression, Liquidation, Brutal Swing, Sludge Wave.
The dome had been closed at Cress’s insistence, and the lights were dimmed so low they may as well have been off. For a few seconds, all was quiet, all was dark, and Cress stood at the pool’s edge, arms draped across his chest like a slumbering Cofagrigus. His attire was long and flowing, but certainly not heavy; six shadowy, gossamer streams hung from his back, each ending in a shimmering, crimson spike, and a golden crown of jagged metal sat stop his head, which (coupled with the numerous red belts down the front holding his grey dress together) gave the Gym Leader a very Giratina-esque appearance.
And now, it is time to begin.
He raised his left arm, and Golly dove into the pool, a BrightPowder clasped tightly in its foreclaws. He raised his right, and Crawdaunt followed suit. Each of the arthropod Pokemon was decked out in naught but body-paint, completely waterproof and undetectable until the third signal was given.
Cress bowed, and blacklights hit the water, illuminating the Pokemon beneath, their neon glow making them look like the skeletal remains of two great sea beasts. A second passed, and the music began.
“DON’T YOU DISRESPECT ME, LITTLE MEN!“
The leviathans below circled, BrightPowder slowly filling their growing whirlpool with glitter.
“Don’t you derogate, nor deride...“
Crawdaunt settled to the bottom as Golly began to surface, a Sludge Wave turning the surface of the water into a violet hue as he rose.
”You’re in MY world now, not your world,”
Cress stepped forward onto the behemoth bug, who slowly began to circle around the pool after his trainer boarded.
”And I’ve got friends on the other side!”
As the music replied with an echo, Crawdaunt unleashed a Toxic from the depths, the force of the poison’s expulsion resounding off the pool’s walls and ascending, causing the surface of the water to spike upwards, BrightPowder glitter hitting the air before falling back into the drink.
”That’s just a little something we have in Unova, a little parlor trick, don’t worry...”
Golisopod made another circuit, launched the Striaton triplet into the air with a First Impression, then dove back down to join Crawdaunt. Cress landed back at the side of the pool before continuing,
”Sit down at my table... Put your minds at ease. If you relax, it will enable me to do anything I please.”
He strutted around the edge of the water while deep below, Golly and his partner began churning the water with a Brutal Swing/Knock Off combo, the rising tempest a miasma of shadows and BrightPowder.
”I can read your future, I can change it ‘round some, too. I’ll look deep into your heart and soul...”
With this, for just a split second, the vortex began to die down, and Cress seemed to break character; the booming voice he’d been singing with gave way to his usual meek-but-still-flashy demeanour, and he asked his audience,
“You DO have souls, right, my dears?”
But once the song picked back up again, he got back into it.
”And make your wildest dream come true!”
As he finished the verse, Crawdaunt burst forth from the water, unleashing a fiery Hidden Power and littering the pool with the cards it had been hiding in its claws this whole performance. Each one was of a different arcana, and each depicted a different Water-type specialist on its face. Cress, Wallace, Juan, Wake, Misty... They were all present, drawn meticulously onto the cardstock with a steady hand and moving with the current formed by the two Pokemon.
”The cards! The cards, the cards will tell... Your past, your present, and your future, as well.”
The water began to turn again, its agitators beginning to rise as the waves started crashing over the sides.
”The cards, the cards... Just pick three, and take a little trip into your future with me.”
Now, normally, the song would go further into the card reading and whatnot, but what Cress wanted from this wasn’t a story, but a spectacle. It seamlessly transitioned to 3:23 on the track, and this was when the real show started.
”Are you ready?”
Golly grabbed onto Crawdaunt, using a Liquidation to ascend faster.
”Are you READY??”
The Golisopod’s Liquidation turned the center of the pool into a colossal pillar of water as the two breached what was once the water level, and while it still held in place the Crawdaunt let loose a series of Knock Offs and Toxic, forming eerie sludge shapes and shadows within the column.
“Transformation Central!”
The song echoed his words, and the water turned a deeper purple as Golly expelled a Sludge Wave once more, glitter and shadows still populating the swirling mass.
”Reformation Central!!”
Another echo, and the column began to shudder and shake, the two beasts within using Brutal Swing and Hidden Power to shear burning holes in the sides of the tower.
“Transmogrification Central!!!”
The column was beginning to fall apart now, and Cress strutted his way back to where he had started all of this from. Above him, in the tempest, Golly got ready by grabbing onto Crawdaunt...
”You’re changing, you’re changing, you’re changing, all right! I hope you’re satisfied...”
He gestured wide to the quaking mess almost striking the ceiling.
“But if you ain’t, don’t blame me... You can blame my friends on the other siiiide~!“
As the music went into its big finish, Golly coated himself for another Liquidation as Crawdaunt’s star-shaped crest began to glow. The smaller crustacean reared back and then used the force of its partner’s attack to pull off a high-speed Waterfall, tearing the water into two as it crashed back down to the pool below. BrightPowder, dark masses, and diluted poison (nothing too threatening, just don’t get any in your mouth. The taste won’t come out for a few days) crashed into either side of the stage as Cress laughed diabolically in time with the music. His partners rose back up to greet him as the final bit rang out;
You got what you wanted, but you lost what you had!
Coordinator: Gold Ethan Hibiki (x)
Categories: Beauty/Clever
Music: here (fades out after 4:50)
Pokémon: (x)
Bubbles (Furret)
Category: Beauty
Rain Dance / Surf / Ice Beam / Quick Attack
holding Mystic Water
Togi (Togekiss)
Category: Clever
Fly / Psychic / Secret Power / Rock Smash
holding Bright Powder
Word Count: 2650
Special thanks to my lovely beta @edroys, without whom this piece wouldn't be as polished as it is!
It was his turn, finally. The announcer called out his name and, taking a deep, calming breath, Gold walked out onto the small stage, clutching a ribbon in his shaking left hand. He was sweating, and part of him was worried that the stick his ribbon was attached to would slip right out of his palm as soon as he started to give directions. He clutched it tighter.
Inhale. Exhale.
And smile, he remembered. Lucas had said it was important to smile. That should’ve been the easiest part of this entire performance, and yet he found himself struggling.
He directed a grin at the judges that he hoped looked a lot less shaky than it felt, and nodded at the sound technician to signal that he was ready to start, trying his best to ignore the crowd of spectators as he did so. They were watching his every move, wouldn’t miss it if he made a mistake. They would notice if he failed.
Gold knew Red had to be out there somewhere. And Lucas was probably watching him as well. He didn’t want to disappoint either of them.
Inhale. Exhale.
Bubbles’ and Togi’s pokéballs were a reassuring weight in Gold’s right hand, and the feeling as he threw them out on the field was familiar despite everything else being different and new. They burst open, covering first only the tiny stage and moments after the entire field in white smoke and shimmering bubbles as the seals on them activated. The music started, right on cue.
Their show started with the sound of powerful wing beats echoing through the stadium, and Togi lifted himself up into the air. He rose from the layer of smoke, blowing it away with his Fly attack as he took to the skies, the glitter on his feathers sparkling in the sunlight. A band of deep blue trailed behind him, fluttering in the wind. It was securely tied to his foot in a neat bow, keeping a bag of matching colour in place.
Left behind, now in open view, Bubbles stood in the middle of the stage, a blue bow of her own wrapped around her neck. The Mystic Water pendant that was attached at the front glinted prettily under the sun, complementing the jewelled flower accessory that was clipped right next to the Furret’s left ear. She stared wide-eyed at the audience, in awe at just how many people had come to watch.
Oh no, Bubbles, no-
Gold swallowed nervously, the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears drowning out the music for a moment. His ribbon made a whooshing sound as it swished through the air, catching the distracted pokémon’s attention. She looked over, remembering that she had a performance to do, and immediately whirled back around with an Ice Beam readied in her mouth. The attack hit the water only a few seconds later than originally planned, moving across the pool to about the halfway point as she built her own frozen runway. Gold sent a quick prayer to Ho-Oh, hoping that the judges wouldn’t notice the delay.
Bubbles dashed over to wrap around his feet and let out an apologetic squeak, too quiet for anyone else to hear. Togi, meanwhile, had started flying in circles overhead, and Gold raised the stick in his hand again to give his instructions, letting the ribbon on its end spiral through the air. With one last affectionate press of her face against the shiny fabric of Gold’s pants, Bubbles unwrapped herself from him in one smooth motion, and just like that, they were back on track.
Her dance started slow, with her spinning in circles, curling and uncurling her body and frequently changing direction. Her movements were starting to spread out, like ripples caused by rain drops hitting the surface of a lake. The first glittering droplets began to fall from a clear sky, and Bubbles picked up the pace a little, moving forward, off the stage and onto the ice.
Her teammate finally landed right behind her at the very edge of the stage, and as the rain picked up to match her increasing pace, he spread his wings and the water of the pool began to glow.
The music changed, the guitar that had been playing throughout the entire first part falling silent. Bubbles kept dancing, twirling on the ice as though she’d done it a million times before. Hundreds of tiny stars surrounded her, with the sun reflecting off the rain she’d summoned and off the illuminated pool’s surface, disturbed by falling drops of water. From the right angle, those lucky enough to have been seated in the right places could even see a shimmering rainbow.
She created a few ripples of her own as well, tail swishing gracefully behind her as she turned, reaching further than the edges of her sparkling ice stage and brushing against the water’s surface.
As the music picked up, the soft glow of the water transferred over to Togi. His white feathers lit up with a bright blue light and he turned his head towards the sky, holding onto the energy he’d drawn from his surroundings for a moment longer. Bubbles increased her speed even further to match the build-up in the music. She used the ice’s slipperiness to her advantage, replacing most of her steps with smooth sliding instead.
Finally Gold raised his hand again, letting the ribbon fly once more. Togi released his Secret Power attack into the sky, a ball of energy that took on the form of a Water Pulse, and just as the music hit its climax, seemingly exploding into waves of sound, so did the attack, bursting into sparkles of blue that then dissipated to join the rain.
The rain-dancing Furret slid to a halt, pausing for a moment as Togi beat his wings a few times without taking off, drawing the audience’s attention to him and unleashing a Psychic attack. Rainbow-coloured stage lights flickered on, pulsating to the beat of the music as telekinetically-formed fountains of water erupted to the left and right of the frozen part of the pool. Bubbles watched in excitement as the water flew up high into the air, some even arching over her head to crash back down on the other side, but she knew what she was supposed to do now, had seen the display before during training and wasn’t going to let it distract her.
The first pillar of water that the Ice Beam hit froze just as nicely as the stage Bubbles had created at the start. She turned her head, following its entire length to make sure she froze it in its entirety, creating a glistening arch of ice. Without dropping her attack, she then moved on to the next one. The fact that both of them could keep up their moves for such a long time was a testament to their raw power, cultivated through years of battling, and soon after, two pillars of ice had joined the arch. They both curved inward, towards each other, their tips shaped like waves frozen in time, and their surface reflected the sunlight as well as the stage lighting, setting them aglow with a rainbow of colours.
The two pokémon finally dropped their moves as Gold’s ribbon again whirled through the air, quickly back and forth this time, signalling that it was time for their next combo. The motion was starting to feel more natural, more like it had when he’d been training for this, without an audience, just him and his team.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gold realised that he was smiling – and it wasn’t because he was trying to.
He didn’t dwell on it though, too focussed on his pokémon to give it any actual thought. Bubbles immediately responded to the command, using that endless energy and enthusiasm of hers to jump off the ground, her Quick Attack aiding her in going faster and higher than she normally would. At the same time, Togi pushed himself back off the ground as well for another use of Fly. He did a little twirl mid-air, sending droplets of water from the still falling rain flying in the process, then dove for the icy sculptures he and the Furret had erected together. He soared in complicated patterns around the glittering obstacles, circling one of the pillars, then the other, looping underneath and then up around the arch before turning halfway and letting himself freefall for a bit on the other side.
Occasionally he’d dodge Bubbles with a well-rehearsed dive. The Furret was elegantly bouncing back and forth between the ice structures with seemingly no effort, light on her feet as the natural hunter she was. She reached the top of the arch and came to a stop, striking a pose and flicking her long tail before jumping off and down into the pool below.
The music quieted and the lights dimmed. Gold signalled with his ribbon and Togi landed on the arch, right where Bubbles had stood before her dive. He almost slipped on the wet, perfectly smooth surface, but managed to catch himself by use of his wings.
Once again his surroundings began to glow, only this time his Secret Power move drew its energy from the ice he was standing on, and a shining pale blue light spread throughout both the structures and the frozen runway underneath. The move manifested as an Ice Shard attack this time, transforming the rain drops falling around him into small shards of glittering ice, even more visible than their liquid form had been before. With one beat of his wings, Togi scattered them, and they zipped through the air like shooting stars.
Bubbles curiously peeked her head out of the water, watching both the performance and her trainer for instructions so she wouldn’t miss another cue, but she kept herself out of the audience’s sight as much as possible, hiding between the structures of ice. Gold gave yet another signal and Togi let himself fall off the arch, then spread his wings and flew.
He focussed hard on his next move, and as the effects of his Psychic spread through the stadium it was as though time itself had frozen for a moment. The rain only slowed at first, then stopped completely, glowing droplets of water hanging still in mid-air. Each movement, each flap of the Togekiss’ wings disturbed their peace, moving them through the air like particles suspended in oil.
At another signal from Gold, Bubbles came out of her hiding place and climbed back onto the icy runway. The flowery accessory was missing from her head, presumably having been lost during her dive, but the ribbon of her bow was still trailing behind her, wire keeping the soaked fabric from dragging on the floor. She briefly shook herself to get some of the water out of her wet fur before jumping up into the still rain and letting her teammate’s Psychic latch onto her as well. As she was lifted up into the air, surrounded by a soft light, she let the music guide her movements as she picked up her Rain Dance again, gliding through the droplets-filled air.
Togi followed her movements, chased her through the sky. Whether it was his lack of using Fly this time or just exhaustion wasn’t clear, but he was moving notably slower than before.
As the music began to build up to another climax, the two concluded their dance, circling each other one last time before the Togekiss placed his teammate gently back on the ice and released his Psychic, creating a splash as all the raindrops fell at the same time. The rainfall resumed as though it’d never been disturbed.
He only had a short time to land and catch his breath though. Gold gave the next signal and Togi was off the ground again. The stage lights turned back on as the music hit its peak intensity.
This was their finale. They’d make it count.
As he rose, once more aided by Fly, Togi prepared himself for use of a different move entirely. He built up his strength for a Rock Smash, the Fly allowing him to concentrate all of that added power in his wings, then went for the ice structures still on the field.
A pillar was the first to come crashing down, Togi’s wings cutting through it like a heated knife through butter, shattering the structure into a thousand sparkling shards of ice. He didn’t let go of that power yet, no, instead going for the other pillar next, then the arch, cutting them all up into chunks of much smaller size. The rain started to slowly fade and soon the air was filled with fine, glittering ice dust as Togi kept breaking the sculptures into smaller and smaller pieces.
But even then he wasn’t done. Bubbles, who’d once again been demonstrating her incredible speed and agility by expertly – and gracefully – dodging any ice that came flying her way with Quick Attack, an underlying playfulness to the way she carried herself indicative of just how much fun she was having, jumped off the ice and dove back into the pool. With the towering structures all broken down, the ice stage was all that was left. Mustering the energy for one last powerful Psychic attack, Togi circled the pool and concentrated all of his power into the ice below, driving the water molecules apart and shattering the stage in an explosion of shining crystals.
Immediately after, the water that was now free to move beneath began to rise, but it wasn’t Togi’s doing this time. The Psychic attack’s light faded from the his feathers as the pool seemed to overflow, water rising higher and higher and building into a giant wave, taking chunks of ice with it. Suddenly, emerging right on top of it, her Mystic Water glistening in the sunlight-
-Bubbles looked utterly delighted as she finally got to show off her favourite move, riding on the water like she was queen of the entire world.
One last time, Gold’s ribbon whipped through the air. The Furret leapt off the wave, propelled forward by a Quick Attack. Togi turned to meet her in mid-air.
The music went quiet. The stage lights flashed brightly.
Bubbles squeezed her eyes shut and, in the middle of her jump, tore through the bag tied to Togi’s foot with her claws. Her Surf attack collapsed with a splash, flooding more than just the pool. A mixture of Bright Powder and glitter went flying everywhere, covering both pokémon in shimmering particles.
She landed on a swimming chunk of ice, using her tail for balance. Togi landed on another chunk next to her, his landing a bit shakier than hers. He seemed exhausted but still stood up straight, proud that he’d gotten through the entire routine with only minor mistakes. Bubbles was excitedly hopping in place.
It was only then that Gold noticed the cheering coming from the audience, the water in his shoes, and the fact that his ribbon was no longer in his hand.
It must’ve slipped out of his hand when he gave the final command, he realised, but somehow that fact didn’t bother him at all, even though he’d worried about exactly that happening at the beginning. All he could really do now was grin widely at his two pokémon as they turned around to face him, Bubbles giving an excited squeak and Togi making a comparatively tired-sounding noise of his own.
Gold didn’t pay any attention to the judges. They didn’t matter – all of this, the competition didn’t matter, their mistakes didn’t matter, and as Bubbles hopped over to him and tackled him to the wet ground for cuddles, soaking his contest clothes in icy cold water, all he could do was laugh.
Machi (Machamp: Stone Edge, Earthquake, Dynamic punch, Takedown)
Appeal music: The Phoenix
After the current appeal ended, the lights dimmed down to almost nothing. It was enough to conceal Shoki walking up to the platform, gripping onto Machi’s large hand tightly. It was easy- and not, in many a sense. He didn’t need to worry about seeing how large the crowd was, but at the same time, he could hear a low rumble from voices of the people- wondering why the lights were so dark.
Shoki’s eyes being closed, was also curious.
A dramatic melody filled the room suddenly filled the room, but the lights still hadn’t yet brightened.
“Put on your war paint!
You are a brick tied to me that’s dragging me down!”
Finally, as if just enough to see the two jump into action when the music picked up, a little more light was allowed to filter through, The Machamp raising her four large arms together in unison with one of her meaty legs, crashing it to the ground and forcing four mounds of rock to rise from either side of the platform.
From the teenager, a matching set of rope like energies formed around his legs and arms connecting themselves to the rock formations, four more appearing around Machi’s large wrists and connecting to the same structures.
“Strike a match and we’ll burn you to the ground.
We are the Jack-o-lanterns in July, setting fire to the sky.”
Taiyou’s turn was up next suddenly appearing behind his trainer and using heatwave to make the room much more hot. The room also brightened considerably more than it had been earlier- a sudden sunny day making it seem like it was a hot summer’s day outside, rather than inside. With the combined heatwave attack, it almost gave the illusion of a red ceiling- like it was on fire.
As fast as the song had been going- that’s as quickly as the pokemon moved, the Machamp next to shoki let out a mighty and powerful roar, again her powerful feet slamming on the ground and creating a earthquake not enough to collapse the building, but enough t shake the pool up to create a wave that would nearly soak the poor audience members too low to the water.
Taiyou now, let out a flare blitze that ended in the water, causing steam to rise with the wave, concealing the Blaziken, Machi, and their trainer.
“Here it comes! the rising tide, so come on!
Put on your war paint!”
“Crosswalks and crossed hearts- and hope-to-dies
Silver clouds with grey linning. So we can take this word back from a heart attack- one maniac at a time we will take it back.
You know time crawls on when you’re waiting for the song to start, so dance along to the beat of your heart-” It was then that the ropes tied to Shoki began pulsing through the cloud of smoke from the attack before hand, almost like a line of glowing heart beats. As the room began to finally clear, the tempo of the song changed, to calmer and slower-
The words chanting four times:
The war is done before it’s begun
Release the doves
Surrender love
Taiyou, not so much of doing an attack as she was releasing embers into the air, allowed Shoki to finally open his eyes, squinting as he concentrated on the energy, allowing the bits of small flame to quickly turn into small bird like images before finally dispersing into the air.
“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY young blood! Doesn’t it eel, like our time is running out!”
Machi finally jumped into action now, using take down on one of the pillars- strangely enough Shoki was moving his arms and even legs along with her. Almost as if they were in sync with each other, one by one the pillars dissipating into nothing but rubble. The last attack being Dynamic punch into the air, Taiyou meeting it with a blaze kick,
I’m gonna change you, like a remix. Than I’ll raise you-”
A final time of his aura and energy manipulation, Shoki used the energy from both attacks- the power of the punch and the flame of the kick, when they met, instead of causing an explosion he quickly used eh power to fan the flames out- almost like wings.
“Like a phoenix!
Put on your war paint!”
With a few beats, the song was over, and the appeal was done.
They must look so plain, especially compared to the other coordinators. Sylveon wears a red cape with white trim; Goodra’s, only a pair of shades – anything more would ruin the trick. Shauna’s outfit is a pink-and-white dress with bows.
Oh, and iceskates. Can’t forget the iceskates.
As they walk to the platform, the ceiling closes. A single spotlight illuminates the stage. Shauna nods to Goodra on her left and Sylveon on her right, and the music begins.
The violin is Goodra’s cue. It steps forward, the spotlight following. It holds out its arms on either side, making motions like waves – and then it steps off the platform, using Acid Armor to disappear into the pool.
The first verse begins. Shauna and Sylveon take the stage, the picture of youthful innocence and excitement. Shauna holds a hand above her eyes and motions as though she’s looking into the audience; Sylveon mirrors the motion with one of its ribbons. They step forward in time with the melody.
When they step off the platform, the water turns to ice under their feet. Goodra is no longer visible, but its Ice Beam is; it swirls around the pool, giving Shauna and Sylveon just enough room to skate on.
Even though you’re scared, you’re stronger than you know…
The chorus bursts out. Sylveon uses Substitute, and the two Sylveon glide in opposite directions. They speed up, jumping across the stage, and unleash an Attract that leaves a trail of hearts behind them
At the start of the second verse, the two Sylveon come back to stand next to each other. They each reach a paw into the edge of the water. Goodra rises out of it, rematerialized. It uses Rain Dance. A dark cloud appears, pouring down on the ice.
Sylveon uses Dazzling Gleam.
The strobe lights go on.
And the rain
Falls
Up.
Sylveon’s Substitute fades away. Shauna skates up and joins her partners. After a nod from her, Goodra uses Dragon Breath toward the edges of the ice, burning the beginnings of a pattern.
Sylveon and Shauna skate backwards, laughing in the rain. They’re the only moving beings in the frozen paradise of the stage. They’re shining, warm, happy --
And then the ice cracks and Shauna falls in.
(Naturally this happens at the worst possible moment, during the bridge.)
She gasps at the cold, instinctively struggling to keep her head above water. Goodra and Sylveon flinch, looking at each other. They seem to realize that Goodra would not be the best at rescuing her.
The dragon starts its Dragon Breath again, finishing the pattern in the ice as Sylveon quickly grabs Shauna out of the water. Her whole body is shaking. Sylveon holds her up, ribbons wrapped around her chest and waist.
There’s no way they can pretend that was planned to be part of the appeal, but Shauna hopes that they can at least finish as though nothing happened.
They strike a final pose: heads turned up, arms and ribbons outstretched. The lights dim.
When she gets offstage, Shauna recalls her partners and lets herself collapse.
Breathe in, breathe out. It's okay. You can do this.
Dragoon (Kamui) stood backstage, unsure of how this would go. First contest, first time in front of so many people. It was safe to say that her nerves began to poke away at her self esteem. Without her long-time partner by her side as well, her Pyukumuku, she felt a little lonely. There was no need for this, for Eos (her Aromatisse) and Yuuka (her Togetic) were beside her. Eos noticed her friend's discouragement as she stared at the crowd, waiting for the signal to be given. Small paws grabbed her pale cheeks and nuzzled one side; Yuuka quickly nuzzled the other. They had faith within the half-breed. They were all here for fun; it was supposed to be an experience. Looking to her partners, she nodded, her face now beaming with a smile.
With a final, steady breath, she pushed past the curtain.
Show time. Let the tale be written.
The song slowly began to fade in. Violin as the centerfold, it began to draw a gentle beat through her feet. Dragoon wasn't conventional, for as it played and the lights dimmed per her request, she began to let her body flow. No Pokéballs -- both of her pokemon rested under her hair, hugging her back. The Togetic's wings (accompanied by a few Yellow Puffs at the base, which formed a pouch for his Red Card) easily passed as accessories. The Aromatisse's purple 'skirt' (dressed with an Expert Belt to 'hold it together', adorned with sparkles and a seashell in the center of it) appeared to be feathers. Lights beginning to brighten, she smirked as her arms moved behind her for the Beauty-focused Pokémon.
Dragoon gently tossed Eos up into the air as high as she could after finding her. Letting the Fragrance Pokémon twirl, the surface of both the stage and the water began to glitter as Misty Terrain was casted; hugging the surface like a gently shimmering blanket. The water began to ripple, like soundwaves -- Psychic being the cause as Yuuka continued to hide, attempting to give the appearance that Dragoon was causing it all. (When in reality she wasn't; she didn't want to use her powers, nor let anyone know of them. It would be too risky a move.) Slowly, Yuuka gathered as much of the stage's water the small Happiness Pokémon could hold. Being swept upwards, the ball of water was now iridescent (almost like a prism). She hoped to gain a bit of edge with the crowd for the first combination. The Coordinator continued to dance, letting lithe steps guide her stars to their next move set.
[ She was planning to not use any voice commands, hoping that her bond and the training would be enough. Eos was with her longer, but she could still sense that Togetic was eager to do what he could. All of her faith was in both of them. However… everyone has to have a failsafe, for plans could easily fall through. Especially when nerves were so high. Adrenaline was now flowing within her veins, causing her heart to pick up its pace. ]
The violin continued to rise, dancing to its own gentle tune. She could hear the rising beats of the drums, letting the trio know it was about to shift. As the drums pounded away, the ball of water was thrown up into the air and exploded into mist. Colors ranging from clear to pink, and everything in between, lightly rained down on them. Her head up, Eos launched a Charge Beam at the particles, adding more of a shine. Finally, her Clever star made his appearance; Yuuka's wings began to glow with the drop of the bass. His small frame suddenly took to the sky, causing Dragoon’s pale blond hairs to briefly scatter. The rush of wind was needed as he covered himself with the electrified water.
Suddenly, darkness covered the sky, and a mass of shadows sucked the water into yet another ball. Wind from the other Pokémon dispersed it with the sudden introduction of dubstep. Yuuka Reflected any parts of the wind that would cause him harm outward, giving the entire audience, and stage, a gentle coating.
Dragoon couldn't stop smiling as she slowly backed up. Each jolt of the synthetic beats changed the trio's poses. The way she moved echoed that there was hardship between the three of them.
The small egg-shaped Pokémon rested on top of his partner. He wasn’t quite tall, but height didn't matter when you possessed great power. Both of his arms were held out wide, facing the Coordinator. The expressions on both of the Pokémon’s faces almost seemed pained; a sadness as the violin began to paint the picture of something torn to join the Coordinator’s dance as she stopped. Dragoon placed both of her hands onto her chest. Together, her team turned to the crowd. It almost seemed as if they were trying to get them to take part in the tale. Should Dragoon stay, or leave?
Hoping for the 'stay' option, Psyshock was fired in small bursts into the air. Shortly after, Eos fired another burst of Fairy Wind, directing it to the Coordinator. The Psyshock gave it a comforting feeling. As if it was trying to emanate the color of what she felt -- red. Love. Compassion. Protection. It tickled, swirled around her, then gently tossed her into the air and moved her forward. Landing on her feet, the half-breed could feel her balance wavering -- it was OK. Managing to catch herself upon the wet stage, she twirled away from the pair. Eos (more of the actress between them), placed her paws to her face. Yuuka took this key and came down, comforting his friend. Attempting to make her feel better, he called upon his Psychic powers, creating a small heart out of water. Still pained, Eos shook her head and turned away, letting an electrified beam break it apart. How the discomfort grew as the half-breed looked down into the water. He wouldn’t stand for this. The bass picked up, and so did the energy between them. They were near the climax of the song.
Even though this seemed like just an act, it hurt Dragoon. Stick to the script -- stick with the plan. Her arms curled in. It was all up to them now. Red eyes looked towards them, a small twitch of her upper lip signalling that this was all up to them.
They took the cue. Another cast of Misty Terrain covered the ground; Fly following as wings gently cut through it to 'cut out' a shape. Eos pretended to direct her friend in the shape-making. What could make their trainer stay? What could get her to smile once more? Depending on where people sat, it could be hard to tell what was being drawn. Others, it was easier. Wings -- that of an angel. The Togetic was flying so fast as his wings cut into the pink water, causing some of it to flutter up behind.
When he was complete, the large shape was lifted out of the water by his determination to prove that they were worthy. A gentle blast of Fairy Wind coated the luminous water even further, showing her own determination. The wings began to move, to flap and fly over the crowd. Yuuka’s ‘joy dust’ being left in its wake (gently tickling one child’s nose) and dissipated into a spray of water over the judges. The half-breed began to back away from the water’s edge, close to the backstage entrance. Hands moving away from her form, the Pokémon returned to their 'tower'.
As the violin slowed down, she began to smile. They, in turn, held up their arms. Shadow Ball began to form, but it was much smaller than before, being directed around the Coordinator as Eos walked closer. Her light steps left behind more ‘joy dust’ from Yuuka, who was doing all he could to balance upon bantam shoulders; as if to beckon the Coordinator to come closer, as if to say, "Come, it’s all right. You’re loved and accepted." The violin picked up again, and so did the bass, drastically changing the mood from gentle to still torn, but accepting; without the pain, as if to say the girl found a home within the arms of her Pokémon. Her feet pressed against the stage as she scooped them up close in one motion. (The Aromatisse jumped so Dragoon wouldn't have to bend down) As they twirled, it began to slow, the violin fading. (It wasn’t over yet!)
Holding them close as the music continued to dim, her foot slipped and into the water the trio fell! No! Wait! She could use this to her advantage! Letting go of them, she swirled her hands, trying to silently communicate “Fairy Wind! Reflect!” to them. They didn’t hesitate, wanting to get out of the water and make sure she was safe as quickly as possible. The moves comboed together. First was Yuuka’s Reflect, appearing in the liquid under them. Eos’ Fairy Wind was next, bounding off of it and shoving them all to their feet. Landing with grace, she grabbed them both and began to perform their dance number.
( Perfect, but would the crowd and judges notice? )
Letting the affects of the combo from their safe return shine, the trio move in sync. Suddenly, the bass dropped and the music picked right back up. Their arms swung over one another, gently sliding across the water-covered surface. Hands shot up -- Dragoon began to flow like the bass; her team like the violin. In perfect harmony, dancing to the style of modern jazz. Carefully planned spins and jumps moved in time with the nearing melody and harmony. Her legs gave occasional jolts back and forth as well.
Her team held each other’s arms and spun to the violin. Excitement was now in their aura, on their face. They won her over! They got her to stay! The Pokémon mimicked some of the Coordinator’s moves during certain parts. Then, the bass faded away for good. Their dancing stopped. They needed one last big finale to end it all. Holding her hands out once more, the pair jumped into Dragoon’s arms. Hopefully this would work--! They needed it to!
It started off with one final cast of Misty Terrain, then Fairy Wind and Shadow Ball working in tandem. Followed by Psyshock and Charge Beam. Psychic and Reflect, and, finally, Fly ended it all.
With the water now covered once again in a dusting of pink, Eos used and directed her wind to throw a small portion of it into the air. The ball of shadows began to form over the fluid, eating it up. The ball shone and glimmered with an array of color, especially when Psyshock was launched towards it, which then caused the ball to swirl with power. When the Togetic noticed that it couldn’t hold anymore, he threw it up into the air. Electricity was shot into the shadowy mix; it was getting so close to bursting. With one last use of Psychic energy, the Happiness Pokémon threw it back down into the water and let it stir. The liquid gathered, hummed, and even expand to its fullest; letting the audience have a moment to stare in awe and wonder what they would do next. Seeing it start to break apart, Yuuka let go of its hold and summoned a Reflect under it, thrusting it up out of the water as if the screen was a bounce board.
When it hit its peak in the air, a few meters above the water’s surface was all he could muster, the Yuuka thrusted himself into the sky with Fly. His wings glowed white, growing in size as the distance closed between the now-falling ball and himself.
Popping the Shadow Ball mix with ease, a cascade of water, mist, and a little steam from the electricity scattered across all it wished to rest on. The music finally came to a true end; it faded, leaving them all in a gentle silence.
There was still one more act.
The Togetic landed on the arm that held Eos up (and was straining slightly from her weight, but she could take it). As the two bowed, Eos reached into the puff pouch and pulled out the Red Card. Tossing it to the ground, she held Yuuka close. Suddenly, the Pokémon disappeared out of sight into their Pokéballs, which were backstage. Dragoon bowed and hummed, a large smile upon her face like none before. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She couldn’t hear the crowd’s reaction (were they cheering; clapping?), but nonetheless left with grace. Kneeling down to embrace her team’s Pokéballs, the curtain closed behind her as she finally exited.
Beautiful: Garnet (Lucario). Protect, Water Pulse, Aura Sphere, Heal Pulse
Chosen Music: [ ♫ ] (Fades out at around 1:50)
Beautiful and Tough. It was difficult thinking about what he could do combining those two categories; how was he supposed to show off one Pokemon’s beautiful side while showing off another’s tough side? If he had gotten Clever he’d have had an easier time of it with his lineup...but there was no complaining about it now, was there?
No, he had to make do with what he had.
There came the question of who to use. Clint was the obvious choice for Tough. Given the rest of his Pokemon, there’s no one else who would fit the bill perfectly.
That made choosing his ‘Beauty’ Pokemon a bit more difficult. Yuki and Ariel were great contenders for the category, but their movesets would make it tough to complement Clint’s sheer ferocity and strength.
Garnet, on the other hand....she had a good variety of moves considered beautiful, and her tough exterior complemented Clint’s perfectly. It was tough to imagine, but maybe it would work.
If that meant making the Appeal almost like a spar between the two, so be it. At least he’d give the audience some kind of show.
If Lucas was nervous as he entered the stage, he was hiding it rather well. Calm, measured steps were taken as he made his way. He held two PokeBalls in his hand, which he then tossed up into the air. The seals burst open and heralded his chosen Pokemon in stars and sparkles; his Lucario and his Feraligatr.
“Okay, you two. You know the rules,” he announced as they took position. “Three minutes, first one land a blow wins. Alright?”
He took his position and took a deep breath. Well, now or never. “On my mark....Go!”
[♫]
Clint started once the music did [0:01], letting out a mighty roar. As if on his command, clouds appeared in the sky and rain started to pour down onto the stage. Almost surprising that Rain Dance was considered tough.
Garnet didn’t make a move in response; while she did appear slightly intimidated, she knew what the plan was. This was just a part of the show. [0:13] So, she closed her eyes and got into a defensive stance; no moves from her for now.
Clint shot off a powerful burst of water at the Lucario; not a Water Gun, no; it was too powerful to be just that. Proof enough that this was a Brine attack.
[0:25] Garnet acted fast; she held her paws out and a bright blue barrier was formed in front of her. Using Protect may not have given them points for being beautiful, but it was the next step that just might.
The burst of water hit the barrier Garnet had made, and the water splashed off the barrier. [0:49] That (combined with the rain) was what Garnet needed; after dismissing the barrier, she formed a blue ball into her paws, which collected the water surrounding her before she launched it back at Clint; probably an unorthodox way to use Water Pulse. Boosted from the rain, the pulse seemed about ready to make its mark-
[1:13] Nope! With a powerful jump, Clint dove into the water and dodged in the nick of time; and with his speed it didn’t take him long to swim around the pool once before he made his next move; he lept out of the water and practically lunged towards Garnet, a rain-boosted Waterfall attack about ready to hit.
Garnet dodged as gracefully as she could. Her eyes were closed (relying on aura sense had its ups and downs), so there was a small waver as she landed on her feet. She very nearly slipped, but she managed to keep herself righted. Just held her paws out to balance herself. Thank Arceus.
[1:28] Clint followed the Waterfall up with Strength; he started to glow a white aura, and he seemed much bulkier. Then he made his charge. In response, Garnet charged up an Aura Sphere and fired. She fired upwards (an attempt to show off the move), before it curved downwards and went right for Clint. The sphere hit its target, and Clint fell to one knee.
The apparent spar over, Garnet opened her eyes and rushed to her opponent’s side. As the music started to fade away, she made just one more move; a Heal Pulse towards Clint. This was in part to heal any damage aura sphere might have done, and a signal for the rain to stop. As the rain stopped, Clint and Garnet ended the appeal with a handshake - friendly sparring buddies to the very end.
And, as a sort of added bonus, the light from Heal Pulse combined with Rain Dance formed a bit of a rainbow. It was fleeting; only lasting a few seconds, but it was definitely there.
As he watched, Lucas couldn’t help getting a bit nervous. He must have gone over this a thousand times with them, but seeing it play out on stage was an entirely different thing. All he could do was return his Pokemon (after they had nodded towards the audience) before exiting stage left after a bow of his own.
Maybe he heard the audience cheering once the appeal was done, but with how he was taking deep breaths (focusing on not getting overwhelmed by how many people there were), he couldn’t be certain.
